AFC Preview: Shandong Luneng Taishan FC vs. FC Seoul

After Saturday's
devastating loss, FC Seoul have little time to reflect. They are back in
action and their opponent is Chinese powerhouse Shandong Luneng Taishan FC.
Looking at their history on Wikipedia, they were originally
founded as Shandong Provincial team in 1956, but changed their name to its
current incarnation in 1993. Luneng, which is their majority holder, is
part of the Shandong Electric Power Group Corporation (they supply the most
power in the Shandong Province). They have won four league titles (1999,
2006, 2008, 2010) and are one of the founding members of the professional
league.

That is the
official history. Unofficially, they are a leviathan, part of a shadowy
cabal that has wielded power in secret since the days of Confucius, who control world affairs with the thirteen
families. Their octopus-like tentacles stretch out and
reach into every part of the underground shadow economy of illegality and
amoral behavior. If it is narcotics, sales of enriched uranium, arms
dealing, assassinations, poaching of endangered species, illegal downloading of
intellectual property, or removing the tags from mattresses, then Shandong
Luneng Taishan FC have an appendage somewhere and some place, promoting avarice
over virtue.

FC Seoul, on the
other hand, are a minnow in comparison. They have a humble history and
lack the financial benefits that a utility to can give, with only the support
of a small chaebol (GS Shop, nee Lucky
Goldstar Corporation) to count on. When they are not in
training to perfect their craft, these noble athletes are out in the community
feeding the poor, helping the downtrodden, and eradicating illiteracy.

Known as the
People's Champion, FC Seoul travel to Jinan to take east Asian superpower
Shandong Luneng Taishan FC. Will Seoul play David to Shandong's Goliath?

(from FCSeoul.com)

Shandong Luneng
Taishan FC- Chinese Super League

Last season, Shandong finished in third place,
eight points behind Guangzhou Evergrande. They scored 66 goals (2.2 goals
per game) while conceding 41 (1.37 goals per game). Leading the line for
them was Aliosio, who won the Golden Boot with 22 goals while also
chipping in 8 assists. However, he has gotten off to a slow start with an injury and has not featured much this year.

Only two games
have been played in the Chinese Super League this year and Shandong's record is
a rather pedestrian one win and one loss. In the first game against
Jiangsu Sunning, they were soundly defeated 3-0. An ominous beginning for
a defense that struggled last year, Shandong could not be happy having
conceded to Ramires in the third minute. From there, the Chinese Super
League's most expensive transfer, Alex Teixeira, bagged a brace to round out
the score. Other than Hao Junmin, who"had five interceptions and six won duels",
not many players could leave the field with their heads held high.

Last week's game
against Lioaning Whowin was better since they came away with a victory, but
with the scoreline 3-2, questions will continued to be asked of
their defense. Again, they conceded first, but this time it took 20
minutes rather than the scant three in the game prior. From there, the
offense clicked into action and took over the game. Diego Tardelli bagged
his first CSL goal, Wang Yangpo scored the second, and Yang
Xu knocked in the third. Lioaning scored in the 91st
minute to make things interesting.

(from news.xinhuanet.com)

Shandong Luneng
Taishan FC- AFC Champions League

Shandong qualified
for the group stages by knocking off the Indian side Mohun Bagan 6-0 at home
and winning on the road against Adelaide United 2-1. Against Japanese Champions Sanfreece
Hiroshima, I would say they pulled a bit of an upset coming back to win 2-1 on the road. Finally, in the
beginning of this month they beat the Thai champions Buriram United at home 3-0,
but really the contest was not decided until Shandong scored two goals in the
final ten minutes. Nonetheless, right back Zhao Mingjian's goal was a
cracker.

(Diego Tardelli, from ndonline.com.br)

Players to Watch

The obvious answer
to this is Diego Tardelli. Transferring from Atletico
Mineiro, his stats were alright (6 goals in 19 games) last year, but he has
been on fire since the start of 2016. He only has one goal in two CSL
games, but he has four goals in four ACL games. I would say five goals in
six games is a great rate of return for a striker. He has been described
as being a dynamic player. He has a great first
touch, some ridiculous dribbling skills, and speed. Watching some of his
ACL highlights, I think he also has the instincts of a poacher as well.

In the winter
transfer window, they signed Brazilian defender Gil from Corinthians. He
has height and he is supposed to shore up last year's leaky defense. I am
sure the usual plaudits that are assigned to CBs are a given here- good in the
air, strong in tackle, reads the game well, etc.

(Dejan gets an easy tap in, from FCSeoul.com)

FC Seoul- K League
Classic

They finished
in fourth place last year. Seoul struggled for
a good bit of the year until the end. Dejan returned and there were a lot
of good vibes. Unfortunately, they lost last week 1-0 to Jeonbuk in Jeonju. What will
happen this year remains to be seen.

FC Seoul- AFC
Champions League

Seoul have started
out quite well in their group. They have won the first two games in the
group and currently lead Shandong on goal difference. Against Buriram
United, they were scintillating and won 6-0. They were just as good against
Sanfrecce Hiroshima, winning 4-1. In both games, Adriano dominated and
he currently leads the AFC with seven goals.

FC Seoul's Lineup
and Formation

I do not imagine that Choi Yong-soo will
rotate his team too much for this game. He will not have been happy with
Saturday's result, but the team did not play terribly in that game. Of
course, outside of the first 20 minutes, they did not dominate either.

This game is important for both teams. If Seoul win, they
take a commanding lead in the group, having beaten all three teams. If
Seoul lose, then the same applies for Shandong. That is why I think Choi
will name his best group and trot out the same 11 players that started both ACL
games and last week's Seoul-Jeonbuk contest.

That being said, it would not surprise me if Kim Chi-woo got a
start this game. Go Yo-han went off in the second half as a substitute.
He was the recipient of a hard tackle in the first half, so maybe he
picked up a knock. If so, then I could see Kim Chi-woo starting on the
left and Ko Kwang-min manning the right flank. Choi made this switch on
Saturday, so it would not surprise me if he went with that to start the game.

(from zimbio.com)

Keys to Win

I cannot find any information about Shandong's contest against
Mohun Bagan, but looking at soccerway.com, there is on their other three games.
Against Adelaide on the road, Shandong were quite happy to cede
possession, sit back, and hit them on the counter. Adelaide had67%of
the possession, but could only muster 8 shots while Shandong had total of
thirteen shots, with nine of them being on goal.

In their next game versus Sanfrecce Hiroshima, they stuck to the
same pattern of ceding possession and playing on the counter. Shandong
had possession of the ball for only39%of
the game, but they put up FIFA 16/PES 2016-like stat of 24 shots (11 on target)
while only allowing Hiroshima 7 shots on goal. In both contests, they
came away 2-1 winners.

At home against Buriram, they had the majority of the possession,55%, but struggled to create the same
chances. Shandong had 11 shots on goal, but only four were on target.
Still, with a 3-0 win, who can complain.

Looking at Shandong's league form, they had the majority of the
possession in both games but struggled to create goals. Versus last
week's opponent, Lioaning Whowin, Shandong had the ball for55%of the
time but only crafted six shots on goals. Against their first opponent
Jiangsu Sunning, Shandong had66%of
the possession and only six shots on goal. Granted, much
of that possession probably is a result of Jiangsu scoring first and then
deciding to cede the ball and defend.

Shandong are a team that has quality up and down. Their
current strikerYang Xu,
playing for Aliosio, bagged seven goals last year and has scored against
Adelaide, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and Lioaning Whowin, which shows he is in
good form right now. Their keeper Wang Dalei plays for the national team
and some might argue that defenderZheng
Zheng,with his experience,
is akey player.

In my opinion, I think the midfield is where Shandong's strength
lies. They will line up in 4-2-3-1. The two DMs will most likely be
Hao Junmin andJucilei and
the attacking trident will consist of Diego Tardelli and Wang
Yongpo on the flanks and ArgentineWalter Montilloin
the middle. Many of Shandong's goals have come from the attacking
trident.

However, if Seoul can dominate this area through Ju Se-jong, Shin
Jin-ho, and Takahagi, then they should be able to provide service to the
strikers. Against, Jeonbuk's three CBs and two DMs, this proved to be
difficult. The midfield must also provide defensive cover and help the
wing-backs track Tardelli and Yongpo. That is why, as always, I think
controlling the middle will be the key.

Shandong's defense is its Achilles heel. From watching
highlights briefly, they seem to have a penchant for conceding headers.
Against Adelaide and Lioaning, they conceded headers and Hiroshima scored
from the defense's inability to head the ball out of the box off of a cross.
Along with controlling the midfield, I think Seoul should test the
defense with crosses into the box and try to win as many set pieces as
possible. I think the defense will panic and this could lead to a goal or
two.

Finally, Shandong are at their best when sitting back and playing
on the counter. In the games where they did not have the majority of the
ball they created many chances. Of course, how many of them were of
quality is difficult to say.

That is why I think, like Jeonbuk last week, Shandong will give
Seoul the ball and invite them into their area. Shandong will hope to use
the speed and quality of Tardelli to nick a goal on the break. We will
find out if it works on Wednesday night.

(from cctv.com)

Prediction

These two teams have met up before. It was in2009and the
first game was played in Jinan with Shandong coming away 2-0 winners. On
the return leg to Seoul, the game finished 1-1 as Shandong scored in the 79th
minute and then spent the rest of the match time-wasting via fake injuries.

I expect Seoul to do better this time out. They have more
quality than the 2009 squad and with the exception of last weekend, have been
playing very well. It will be a tough game and I expect both teams to
create a lot of chances, but then again, that is what I predicted for last
weekend. However, even with the help of the state and thirteen families,
I think the quality of Seoul's midfield, the tenacity of Osmar in defense,
Dejan's vision, and Adriano's form will be too much on Wednesday for
Shandong to handle.

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